Aaron Nola is focused on improving his pitches, not his free agency status

WASHINGTON — Aaron Nola has plenty of theories about why he hasn’t been as sharp as usual for much of the season.

But he insists his looming free agency isn’t among them.

“Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it,” Nola said Sunday — his 30th birthday — before the Phillies wrapped up a 10-game road trip. “Just thinking about, when I’m on the mound, pitching and getting guys out and winning the game, and then, in between starts, getting good throwing in and getting my body right and healthy. That’s kind of my focus.”

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At the moment, Nola is concerned with only figuring out why he’s been struggling. He gave up four runs in six innings in New York last Wednesday night, six days after allowing five runs in six innings in Atlanta.

Nola had a 4.93 ERA in May. He will drag a 4.70 ERA in 12 starts overall to the mound at home Monday night against the Detroit Tigers.

Conspiracy theories abound. Nola wagered on himself at the end of spring training when he and the Phillies couldn’t bridge the gap in talks on a contract extension. The uncertainty of a contract push can be a burden for some players.

“It hasn’t weighed on me,” Nola said.

Nola also threw 205 innings in the regular season and 25⅔ in the playoffs last year, then had a shorter-than-usual offseason to recover. It’s reasonable to wonder if it’s catching up to Nola, who has made more starts (155) and thrown the second-most innings (946⅓) of any pitcher since 2018.

If so, Nola isn’t making excuses.

“I’ve had times where I’ve had a long offseason and same kind of thing or even worse [the next year],” he said. “It just comes down to getting in the zone more and making better pitches.”

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Indeed, Nola traces his problems to three things.

“Trying to be too fine with some pitches in certain counts, walking too many guys, and not making my pitch when I need to with guys on base,” he said. “Those are the three things that it’s coming down to.”

Known for his precision control, Nola has issued two or more walks in half his starts. But his command problems don’t always translate into free passes. Against the Mets last week, he hung a cutter that Mark Canha banged for a two-run homer.

And Nola has allowed 12 homers in 74⅔ innings after giving up 19 last season.

“I feel like, lately, when I am in the zone, it’s not as good of a pitch,” Nola said. “It’s not a quality pitch. It’s too much of the plate. I just need to cut the walks out and make my pitches when I need to.”

Until his last two outings, Nola seemed to alternate stellar starts with rocky ones. He dazzled for eight innings April 28 in Houston, then gave up four runs in 6⅔ innings May 3 in Los Angeles; he sandwiched a clunker in Colorado between solid starts against the Blue Jays and a 10-strikeout gem against the Cubs.

“It just comes down to getting in the zone more and making better pitches,” Nola said. “Not getting the first-pitch strike over. I’ve just got to get ahead of guys. Pitching’s a lot harder when you’re not ahead of guys.”

The Phillies haven’t decided if they will use a day off Thursday to skip the fifth-starter spot. It depends largely on how much they have to tax the bullpen in the next three games against the Tigers.

But manager Rob Thomson noted reliever depth in triple A that might enable the Phillies to keep running bullpen games. Andrew Bellatti and Erich Uelmen are 40-man roster options in Lehigh Valley. The Phillies also recently signed Jacob Barnes, who has major league experience.

“We’ve still got guys in triple A that we can get up here in a heartbeat,” Thomson said. “So, I don’t think there’s any kind of panic not having that fifth starter right now.”

José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) is scheduled for another minor league tune-up, likely Tuesday at double-A Reading, before being reinstated from the injured list. He allowed one hit and hit one batter in a scoreless, 18-pitch inning Saturday in triple A. He has been sidelined since May 8. ... When Nick Castellanos was thrown out trying to stretch a bloop single inside the right-field line into a double in the first inning, it marked the Phillies’ 19th out on the bases, tied for third-most in the majors. ... Since the second game of a doubleheader on July 29, 2021, the Phillies are 26-4 against the Nationals, their most wins over a team in a 30-game span since 1887-89 against the Indianapolis Hoosiers, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Nola will be opposed Monday night by Tigers lefty Joey Wentz (1-5, 7.28 ERA).